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Comments
I've been away from the forum for awhile. My LLBean is still truckin' along at 67K with no problems.... Well, I do have the gusset wind noise on the driver's side which is driving me crazy. How long did it take to replace yours?
Also, I haven't done the 60K service, yet. I just bought the plugs from Liberty Subaru Sat. I'm doing the engine air filter (5 seconds?) and oil change myself. What else do they normally do when they change the spark plugs at 60K. Do they adjust valves or anything like that? Is it safe to say "just change the plugs" to keep my costs down? I don't need to pay $200. extra to have them look at fluids, brakes, etc.
Also, finally broke down and bought the stupid day/night mirror...since mine stopped working at 30K!! So, I guess there were 2 things that did not meet my expectations...the gusset noise and the auto day/night mirror. Compass still works, though!
All in all a very reliable car!! Good to see you bought another Subaru!!
Thanks!
Ralph
As for your reverse issues... I've never had a car (toyota, subaru, honda) that slid nicely into reverse. I think the reason is that the transmission has 5 (not 5 + reverse) synchro-meshed gears. So reverse is spinning at a speed that the engine will never match. But the speed is close to the speed of 1st or 2nd gear - which are synchro meshed. So putting the car in 1st or 2nd (no need to roll) before into reverse should help the engine match the speed that reverse gear is spinning and make it easier to get into gear. My old Honda Civic had instructions for getting into reverse: put tranny in 1st with foot on clutch, neutral foot off clutch, reverse foot on clutch, bingo.
Hope that helps
elissa
I traded my Bean before 60K (it was a great car up to 45K) so I never messed with plugs and I don't remember the scheduled stuff for 60K (probably a coolant change and brake fluid change at least, and probably a new fuel filter in addition to what you already mentioned). I guess go by whatever is in the manual and nothing more -- they will definitely try to pad it if you are not specific.
Craig
My understanding on the judder issue is that the clutch plate material has a problem and that is the root cause (it actually affected several makes of Japanese cars). The judder eventually causes hot spots on the flywheel in many cases, and they just replace the flywheel alltogether.
Craig
Once I get the new boot on is there a substance to spray on the boots to keep them from cracking again?...
Anybody ever use an aftermarket boot repair kit like a Speedi boot? Do they last?
Thanx for any info...
My old Honda Civic had instructions for getting into reverse: put tranny in 1st with foot on clutch, neutral foot ON clutch, reverse foot on clutch, bingo. During that process, never take foot off clutch. However, if you have to re-do that sequence, I'd always start fresh and put in neutral, foot off clutch in between trials. Seems like a lot of work for one little gear though, doesn't it? ;-)
Elissa
I have used a repair kit with a split-boot once (on a 79 Dodge Colt), and it seemed to hold up fine. In fact I asked the dealer to put on a permanet boot a few years later and they told me not to bother -- the split boot was doing fine.
You can apply silicone spray to the boot if you are worried about cracking.
Craig
Elissa
Should we draw straws and see who to believe?
Larry
It seems that I've read on these boards that synthetic oil can be used from the first oil change (3000 mi recommended by Subaru). However, when I told my Subaru service advisor to use my synthetic oil at the 3K oil change on our '05 Legacy GT, he replied that he would if I insisted, but he advised against it. He said he's seen too many Subarus that used synthetic oil prior to the 10K-15K mi point develop excessive oil consumption problems. I've since talked with friends from other areas whose service advisors had told them the same thing. I'd appreciate any comments from the experts that will shed light on the apparent lack of agreement in this area.
FWIW, I've been driving MTs of all makes for the better part of 50 years now, and most of them have proven difficult getting into reverse gear from time to time, particularly when cold. I have always just put it back in neutral, released the clutch, paused, depressed the clutch, and tried again. I'm generally successful within 2-3 tries. If that fails, not very often, then I'll go to first gear, back to neutral and then to reverse, as outlined above.
For those of you who have followed the saga of my recent Subaru purchases, you'll be pleased to know that I recently added a silver '00 Impreza RS cpe with 18.5K mi to my stable. Are they fun, or what??:-)))
Hope all is well with everyone...........Terry
I used synthetic oil in mine and had no problems with oil consumption except during autocross or track days, and I am certain that is due to lateral Gs.
excessive oil consumption is a cylinder ring problem, find it and fix it when it occurs. most cars will have no problems with it.
headgaskets on the other hand... yikes
~Colin
The three tires I have in mind are:
BFGoodrich Traction T/A
Bridgstone G009
Goodyear Assurance TripleTred
Tire Rack rate all fairly high. One customer complained about the Traction T/A cupping rather quickly on his Subie.
The Goodyear is the most expensive but highest treadlife(80k). Bridgestone is the cheapest but lowest treadlife(50k). All rated high in snow traction which is good for Wisconsin/Minnesota.
Whats the best choice?
Does a T vs H speed rating mean much?
--Jay
-juice
Terry: yes, your RS is fun. I've driven a 2000, matter of fact.
-juice
Craig
-juice
'24 Chevy Blazer EV 2LT
Apparently, you are correct. I thought that I'd read in one of my manuals that while not required until the 7.5K mi point, the 3K mi oil change was recommended. However, I just went back to the manuals and couldn't find it:-(
It seems that there has been a movement within the auto industry to lengthen service intervals, i.e. 100K mi for tune up. While I'm sure the technology has improved, I'm not convinced that part of this move isn't sales hype to show the public they can save $$$ by buying this brand or that. Unfortunately, I'm one of those anal retentive seniors who's been changing oil & filter every 2K-3K miles for over 50 years. I'm a firm believer in the saying, "pay me now or pay me later", when it comes to auto maintenance. I detest the inconvenience of "on-the-road" breakdowns.
I also believe that if you're going to buy/lease a new car every 3-4 years, you should be able to get by with the 7.5K service interval w/o any probs. However, if you intend to keep a car 10 yrs or more, and clock 150K miles or more, the oil and filter need to be changed, at least every 3750 miles unless you're driving nothing but highway miles, and then the interval can probably be pushed out to 5K miles, particularly if using synthetic oil. Nothing wears the internal parts of engines and transmissions like dirty lubricant, IMHO.
BTW, "harsh driving conditions" includes the stop and go driving of the urban dweller who stops for groceries, drives two blocks and stops at the PO, drives another two or three blocks and stops at the cleaners, etc.
Terry
Thanks for your comments and help!
Jim49
Otherwise, it is a chestful of water experience. I don't think there is anything wrong with your car or your driving. Trying to keep the rpms below 3,000 will help too.
John
Jim49
However, if you are already rolling in gear and there is jerkiness, it's probably not the clutch. Keep in mind that if the RPMs are too low, it will be jerky, so make sure you're not lugging the engine.
My 00 Outback and my 03 WRX had a manual transmission, and I never really had any problems in stop and go traffic. I agree with John, though, it makes more sense to accelerate and coast in neutral. In first especially, the engine has an awful lot of grunt.
Only other issue I would suspect is a throttle/ignition problem that is making the engine jerk/buck.
Craig
I'm sure the experts know more about this than I do, but I believe that during the "wear-in" period the process produces very minute particles that should be taken out by the filter. However,there's certainly no harm in changing the oil and filter at 3K, particularly since it's not a great expense!
MHO............Terry
Needless to say, during all of this I began to wonder if my coordination was starting to suffer. I think I stalled my '02 something like 6 times in the two years I owned it. I don't remember ever stalling a car after I'd learned to drive.
I've heard all kinds or reasons given for this problem. Many just say it's a Subaru trait. I have a hard time accepting that, after all, MT's have been around for a long time. Other's will say that to avoid excessive wear on the AWD system, the clutch material is soft to absorb the initial launch shock. I decided that it's just more difficult to launch all four wheels smoothly, particularly with the "relatively" small displacement engines used by Subaru.
Once rolling at very slow speeds, if you try to accelerate slowly, you can end up in the "bucking" motion you've experienced. I believe, once again, that this is a result of the drag of the AWD system coupled with the small displacement engine. The easiest way out is to immediately depress the clutch and start all over again.
I test drove an '01 OBS and couldn't believe how easy it was to launch smoothly, relative to my '02. Then I realized that the AC was on. You'll notice that with the AC on, the idle moves from 400-500 RPM to about 800 RPM. That simple increase in "baseline" RPM Made the difference in a smooth launch vs a "shudder" launch.
Stick with it. It just seems to bother us "mature" drivers more than it does all these youngsters. Also, they probably don't have the shudder problem when launching from three or four grand RPM;-)........Terry
I went to a dealer. They told me to have the brake pads & rotors resurfaced (front & back) on my next visit. This dealer also told me that since my Forester had less than 36K miles, it would be covered by the basic warranty.
I moved so I went to a different dealer for the next service. When I went in, I asked for the brake service. They told me it was not covered by the warranty, since it's wear & tear. So I foolishly paid them anyway.
Afterwards, I called the 800# for Subaru. They confirmed the brake work should have been covered by the warranty. However, they looked into and since I asked the 2nd dealer to replace the brakes and did not ask them to check them, Subaru will not pay for this under the warranty.
It seems I made a $400 mistake by not asking the 2nd dealer to check the brakes first. This is so unfair!!!
Craig
Good Luck.
Needless to say, I went with the right decision...
It's the first repair of any kind I've had on this Forester...except for new Alternator belt which I did myself in 20 minutes and a new battery I put in last week. Original battery lasted 5 years....
God bless our Veterans....
Thanx again Subulu
Myth or reality? I have no idea, but it is the current "old wives tale".
Jim
About the car - 04 Impreza Outback Sport - 4EAT – 75% highway, 25% city. The only really hard driving is making the climb up the mountain we live on everyday, oil changed with Mobil 1 every 5k. This is my wife’s car now but was mine up till mid/late summer.
April 04 – Kumho 712 tires – 18k miles
Late May - 20k miles – started noticing lots of pinging and what sounded like valve rattling. Specifically when climbing a grade at about 2500 RPM. Tried to make sure I was in the right gear for the conditions (2nd) instead of letting the tranny decide. Took it to the dealer and they could not reproduce it. Suggested it was just ‘spark knock’ that is common in warmer weather and to use higher octane to see if that helped. It did not. I switched back to 87. This pinging/knocking continues to present.
Since May til mid June – I was consistently getting 25-26 MPG since the car was purchased in July 04. This was gradually dropping with each tank to 20-21 and even dropping below 20 MPG on occasion
Mid June - 23k miles– oil change, changed air filter, fuel filter, put in some fuel additive/cleaner – Mileage was still consistently in the 20-21 MPG range.
July – 25k miles – took the car to the dealer for the mileage issue. They diagnosed bad gas based on kerosene smell to it. Told them I try to get the gas from the same place for both cars and the other was fine. They suggested that I probably got some at one point that was bad and it was long gone and had gunked everything up. They did a fuel induction service and reset the ECU.
July/August – for 2 weeks after that the MPG was ok – in the 24-25 MPG range and then began steadily dropping back to 20-21 MPG again
Mid September – put a can of bg44k fuel stuff in – no change in MPG
Early October - Still getting 20-21 MPG - I noticed the Kuhmos were under inflated. Got them back to a good PSI. First tank after that was pretty good 23-24, next was 20.5 MPG.
Late October – Still getting 20-21 MPG. I figured maybe I had a fouled plug from the old bad gas earlier and it was time for the 30k service anyway - Took the car in for 30k service – all filters, plugs, etc. Had the Nokian WRs put on to replace the Kuhmos. Inflated to 37 front and 34 back. I reset the ECU when I got home and filled up.
Since then – First tank got 310 miles to 12.8 gallons (24.2), next tank got 286 to 12.2 (23.4), last tank was only 270 to 13.1 gallons (20.6).
Help – Any ideas on what could be going on? I think all the basic issues have been considered (gas, tire pressure, plugs, air and fuel filter). I am thinking of taking it to a local shop I trust to try and diagnose the problem and then taking it to the dealer to get it fixed under warranty. Could a problem with the brakes cause this? Like a caliper or something? Should I have them do a compression test? Could it be a bad ECU? Help...
where are you? oxygenated gas could account for the loss in mileage. it lowers emissions but simply does not produce as much power or burn as evenly as non RFG.
if the gas is always oxygenated and sometimes you do get 24 mpg and other times only 20, I would look to your usage of AC (anytime the defrost vents are selected on a late model Subaru AC is on) and to your driving... terrain (hilly, flat, in city, on flowing highway, in gridlock), how fast you're going and how quickly you accelerate to that speed.
you have no problem with the car to diagnose from what I've read so far.
~Colin
-juice
Since you're tracking your mileage so closely and its easy to do, I'd try resetting the ECU each time you fill up, at least for three or four times in a row. If the mileage holds up it could be a sensor, or perhaps a faulty ECU. Have they pulled any codes from the engine? It will still store some things even without lighting the CEL.
HTH
Larry
My 98's throttle is more linear so I think it's smoother than the engine in my wife's 2002 Legacy.
I think that's what causes the jerkiness. Combined with AWD that puts that on/off power to all four wheels, it can be a challenge to crawl slowly and smoothly.
Maybe check the throttle cable, there should be a tiny bit of slack. They replaced my wife's throttle assembly completely and it's a bit smoother now.
The Outback Sport actually does not have AVCS, Subaru's version of variable valve timing. Only the turbos and the H6 have it. Even then not the base WRX, only the STi.
-juice
I don't have the pinging/knocking any more since I replaced the timing sensors and reset the ECU, but the mileage has not changed much (went from about 18 mpg right before the repair back up to 21ish) and I did not notice even a temporary increase. When I first bought the car (80K), I was running about 28 mpg highway, sometimes higher, but it's been at 21ish for three years now. Summer mileage is actually higher than winter; I can sometimes hit 23 or 24 but it is rare. Some of that is due to increased idling in the winter, though.
It is an auto as well, though I typically run it semi-manually on the road-like trails/hills to my house.
-juice
and yep, juice's winter MPG loss is definitely reformulated gas.
~c
And the funny thing is most of our highway road trips happen in the Summer.
-juice